Electric cable connecter



July 5, 1938. c. G. BONDESON 1 2 ELECTRIC CABLE CONNECTER Original FiledMay 25, 1932 ENVENTOR Caz/r6 Cilion e50 BY fill? ATTOR Patented July 5,1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC CABLE CONNECTER Originalapplication May 25, 1932, Serial No. 613,452. Divided and thisapplication July 15,

1936, Serial No. 90,645

3 Claims. (01. 285-65) This invention relates to electrical fittings,and more particularly aims to provide an improved form of electric cableconnecter especially valuable when applied to fittings for standard BX 5and for non-metallic cable and regular interior outlet boxes. Inprevious connecters for the purposes last mentioned, it has been usualto provide a connecter with one spring jaw on the body and Y atransversely arranged clamping screw. How- 10" ever, with this type ofclamping arrangement, if the casting is thick or the metal pour isharder than usual, it is not possible rigidly to clamp the BX or otherconduit or cable to the connecter.

The present invention provides an improved 15 form of fitting whichcanbe merely slid lengthwisely over thefree end of the conduit or cable,then securely clamped to the cable, and then easily and quickly coupledto and anchored on any desired support, as an outlet box, and in any 20desired relation to such support, as that of partial insertion into theoutlet box.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing:

7' Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a fittingaccording to the present invention; such embodiment being shown in fullyassembled condition, and clamping an unarmored cable and mounted on anoutlet box.

30 Fig. 2 is partially an end elevation and partially a transversesection, the view being taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, but with theoutlet box omitted.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the 35 conduit or cable notshown and illustrating a modified form of the invention.

The present application is a divisional one, based on my copendingapplication Serial No. 613,452, filed May 25, 1932.

40 Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the connecter fitting of thepresent invention comprises a neck or nipple 10 adapted to extendthrough a hole in a side wall of an outlet box H, on which the nipple isheld in place by a nut l2. The inner end 45 of the nipple has a malethread as indicated at Illa to match the thread in the nut l2. When thenut is tightened up the nipple is rigidly clamped on and partiallyextended within the box II, the nipple being drawn up tight against theouter 50 surface of the box by the abutment of an external annularshoulder I on the nipple.

The nipple l0, beyond its shoulder [01), is formed as a specially shapedsleeve l3. The opening through this sleeve instead of being con- 55centric is at one side of the sleeve of a semicylindrical shape asindicated at l3a in Fig. 2, so

as there to conform substantially with the periphery of the sized cablewith which the fitting is intended to be used, while the other part ofthe nipple is shaped to provide a substantially U- 5 shaped channel l3bextending for a considerable extent beyond the axis of the cylindricalpart of the nipple carrying the thread Illa, and so extending aconsiderable distance beyond the periph'ery of the cable l4 when thelatter is in the nipple. This U-shaped channel is, at that one of itssides which marks its bottom, aperturecl and tapped to accommodate aclamping screw which at its front end is provided with a reduced portionl5a forming a shoulder connection with a 15 plate or shoe It. Thisscrew, as shown in Fig. 2,

is headed-over at l5b to prevent the shoe from falling off, yet topermit relative rotating movement between the screw and the shoe.

Further, the U-shaped channel has two sides 13b for guiding the shoe ISin its movement toward and from the cable I4, and to prevent the shoefrom turning with the screw l5. These sides I312" preferably taper orconverge slightly as they merge with the semi-circular wall I3a, 5vertically to align a concave face lBa ,of the shoe 6 with thesemi-circular wall l3a when the shoe is drawn back, to facilitatesliding the cable M into the nipple, yet somewhat to free the shoe whenadvanced in the nipple, so as then to permit the shoe to rotate alimited extent and thereby allow pads or ribs [6b on the shoe to alignwith the spiral gap between convolutions of a flexible armored cable orto sink slightly within the relatively soft material of such anunarmored cable as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 at M. In either case,this means insures better holding of the cable and positive insuranceagainst it being accidentally pulled out of place. The channel 13bpositively aligns the shoe initially, to facilitate placing the fittingon the cable, yet allows the shoe to become free for limited rotation,thus to make the fitting self-accommodating for special types of cableor conduit.

By having the locating portion [3a of the sleeve semi-circular in shape,and by having the shoe 16 preferably provided with the concave face [6a,the cable or conduit is not deformed, even though the clamping screw I5is tightened with considerable pressure. Due to the fact that the sidewalls l3b' of the sleeve prevent the shoe l6 from turning, the cornersof the shoe are always so held as to prevent them wedging against saidwalls I31).

Referring now to the modification shown in Fig. 3, the parts designatedby the numerals I0, I01), 13a, I31), I31) and I5 correspond to thesimilarly numbered parts of Figs. 1 and 2. Here, however, instead ofcarrying a shoe like that shown at I6 in Figs. 1 and 2, the inner end ofclamp screw I5 carries a washer 26 which is cupped and freely rotatableand slightly tiltable on the peened-over end of the screw. With thisform of the invention, wherein the clamping member 26 is in the form ofa substantially circular rotatable element like the dished washer shown,there is no tendency for such clamping member to jam within the wallsI31) of the sleeve, in fact no possibility of such jamming,

and yet since said member 26 can tilt slightlyon the end of the screw itcan accommodate itself and automatically does accommodate itself to thesurface of the cable with which it is used.

In both forms of the invention shown in the drawing, the inner end ofthe nipple is provided with .an internal annular shoulder, to act as astop and limit the movement of the conduit or cable inwardly of thenipple. As shown in Fig. 3, such annular shoulder, marked we, is aninterrupted one, to provide peep holes 21. A similar shoulder isindicated at Illc in Fig. 1; also an annular one interrupted by peepholes shown at 2'! in Fig. 1.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of thisinvention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim: 7

1. An outlet-box connecter for a conduit or cable, said connectercomprising a tubular body consisting of a substantially stirrup-shapedsleeve portion at one end and an immediately adjoining and externallythreaded cylindrical nipple portion at its other end, the interior ofsaid sleeve portion and the interior of said nipple portion providing asubstantally straight-line passageway through the body from end to endthrough which a conduit or cable may be inserted into an outlet box towhich the body is secured by a lock nut threaded on said nipple afterthe body has been inserted in a hole in such box, the interior of thesleeve portion being stirrup-shaped to provide a conduit or cablefittingsection at the bowl of the stirrup and to provide opposite such bowl atapering U-shaped clearance channel, said nipple portion having aninternal projection near its free end to limit insertion of the cable orconduit in said body, and the body having an external projection nearthe point of jointure of the nipple and sleeve portions to limitinsertion of the body into an outlet box; and means for clamping theconduit or cable in said sleeve portion, said means including a screwpassing through a wall of said channel at a point opposite said bowl andextended into the channel and toward substantially the center of saidbowl, and a gripping element in the channel fioatingly tiltingly mountedon the inner end of the screw.

2. An outlet box as in. claim 1, in which said gripping element isprovided with conduit or cable-gripping projections spaced across thesame, and thesides of the channel and the ends of said element areshaped for coaction to hold said projections in line with said bowlduring turning of the screw to move the element toward and away from thebowl. I

3. An outlet-box connecter for a conduit or cable, said connectercomprising a tubular body consisting of a substantially stirrup-shapedsleeve portion at one end and an immediately adjoining cylindricalsleeve portion at its other end, the interior of said sleeve portionsproviding a passageway through the body from end to end through which aconduit or cable may be inserted into an outlet box to which the body issecured, the interior of the stirrup-shaped sleeve being so formed as toprovide a conduit or cable fitting section at the bowl of the stirrupand to provide opposite such bowl a tapering U-shaped clearance channel,said cylindrical sleeve portion having an internal projection near itsfree end to limit insertion of the cable or conduit in said body, andthe body having an external projection adjacent the jointure of the twosleeves to limit the insertion of the body into an outlet box; and meansfor clamping the conduit or cable in said stirrup-shaped sleeve portionincluding a screw passing through awall of said channel at a pointopposite said bowl and extended into the channel and towardsubstantially the center of said bowl, and a gripping element in thechannel floatingly and tiltingly mounted on the inner end of the screw.

CARL G. BONDESON.

